Lyric discussion by Phunnla 

Cover art for Black Water lyrics by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

I heard them in concert. Alex introduced this song talking about how the white men had come to the New World bringing their guns and diseases while making promises with words on paper (black water being the ink). The song is about Native Americans.

This song is without a doubt, definitely a reference to Blackwater,a merecenary, military company now known as Xe Services from my home state of North Carolina. Guns and steel and germs of love is a reference to Guns, Germs, and Steel: a 1997 book by Jared Diamond. A very good book by the way. Edward is apparently an intelligent man.